The bank employees were expected to attend an evening work session. The boss said he'd provide dinner. And Noor Ul-Hasan was more than a little worried.
She'd been too busy to get lunch that day, and she was starving. She feared that her boss, the bank officer, would have no idea what a Muslim does and does not eat.
Sure enough, he brought in a huge hoagie sandwich. When co-workers noticed Ul-Hasan wasn't eating they asked her why. She said, "Because of the salami. I don't eat pork."
Her boss did not apologize. Instead, he urged her to "just pick it off." She explained she doesn't eat what pork has touched. He continued to act as if her refusal were a childish whim, rather than a religious proscription.
Such slights are not uncommon for Muslims living in the United States. Though there are 6 million Muslims in this country — as many Muslims as there are Jews, and slightly more Muslims than there are Mormons — Muslims often feel invisible.
Islamic holidays, worship rituals and diet are not well understood. As it happens, Islamic proscriptions about food are similar to Jewish proscriptions, yet how many Christians who understand "kosher" have ever heard of "halal"? (Both words mean "lawful.")
In some ways it is easier living in Utah than in another state, says Ul-Hasan. When she lived in California, business associates would sometimes order wine for her and urge her to drink it. Yet in other ways, living in Utah is more difficult. There are fewer Muslims per capita here than there were in San Francisco, where she was born. Also Utahns tend to focus on religion, so there is more discussion. Ul-Hasan finds herself explaining her beliefs quite often. Sometimes she gets weary and is tempted to say, "You want to know about Islam? Go read a book."
Because she's a member of a lesser-known faith, Ul-Hasan is vigilant. She makes sure her children don't spend school-time working on Christmas projects. She seeks out a butcher who will respect halal. She makes a point of visiting Muslims as they arrive from other countries, and she talks to them about canned goods, explaining which products contain pork.
Ul-Hasan has also helped other local Muslims in their efforts to carry out the ritual sacrifice and charitable donation that are part of the annual Eid-al Fitr holiday. She searched out farmers, meat inspectors and butchers. After the goat was slaughtered, she helped her friends find people who needed the meat.
As for Nursat Hamed, who works for a mental health clinic, she has lived in places where Islam was more prevalent (New Jersey) and places where it was less prevalent (Idaho) and reports relatively few problems practicing her religion anywhere. It may be because she is a physician that she has been treated with respect and is always able to take time off for holidays. She says her co-workers understand and respect her monthlong Ramadan fast. She has few complaints.
There is, of course, a general belief that Muslim men treat women badly. This stereotype does bother her.
"Every Muslim has a duty to have good character," she says. "In Islam, men and women have equal rights. Women are treated very nicely in their community and by their husbands." To be sure, there are places in other parts of the world, places where people are not educated, where women are treated badly, Hamed says.
Backward families, small villages, these are the Muslims that make the news in the United States, she says. Meanwhile, in her office, she sees abused women all the time. But Christians escape the stereotype. No one thinks all Christian women are downtrodden. No one thinks all Christian men are abusive. Or terrorists.
An author of a new book about American Muslims, Asma Gull Hasan, estimates that fewer than 1 percent of all Muslims are terrorists and fewer than 10 percent are "fundamentalists." She cites a 1993 survey that shows Americans have a more negative view of Islam than of any other religion. She also questions the media's use of the term fundamentalist, saying it is probably more applicable to conservative Christians than to conservative Muslims.
Bernard Weiss, of the University of Utah's Middle Eastern Center, would remind those who seek to know Islam that there is variety within the faith. "There are plenty of Muslims in this country who are liberal in their view of Islam. There is also a very broad spectrum of points of view within Muslim countries, although you don't hear the liberal side if the governments squelch free expression."
Ask Hamed to name one thing she wishes more people understood, and instead of one thing, she'll name five: The Five Pillars of Islam.
The first tenet is: There is one God and Muhammad is his prophet. Muslims also believe and respect other prophets — from Abraham to Jesus. The second belief is in prayer five times a day. The third pillar, zakat, means charity. Hamed explains that 2 1/2 percent of a Muslim's savings must go to those less fortunate. All Muslims, even those who have no money, are expected to be charitable by being pleasant to others.
The fourth pillar, swam, refers to the holy month of Ramadan. Hamed thinks most religions feature the concept of fasting, of developing self-control and the ability to focus on God. Muslims refrain from eating, drinking or having sex from sunup to sundown during this month. Children and those who are sick or pregnant are not expected to fast.
The final pillar is hajj, or pilgrimage. Every Muslim is expected to go once to Mecca. Hamed made her pilgrimage in 1993, when she was living in Saudi Arabia. The rituals include circling the Kaaba shrine seven times. When a Muslim makes the walk, he or she is accompanied by hundreds of other worshippers, from every corner of the world, all dressed in simple white garments. No matter how isolated they may feel in their own country, Muslims who come to Mecca know they are not alone.
And increasingly, they are not alone in Utah. Noor Ul-Hasan's husband, Masood, is the current president of the local Islamic Society. He has watched the number of worshippers grow steadily in the past 20 years. He mentions the new mosque in West Valley City. He estimates about 25,000 Muslims are in Utah now.
The main growth took place in the past five years, with the influx of refugees — from Kosovo, Somalia and Sudan. He says, "They need help when they come. They don't have food, don't have clothes. We've been helping and also trying to work with other religious groups, relief groups, to help them."
The Ul-Hasans talk of welcoming Muslims from many countries. Hamed also speaks of brotherhood, within and beyond the faith. It is a tenet that should not be overlooked, Hamed says. "Every Muslim treats everybody else as a person and does not discriminate. Islam teaches kindness and love for neighbors and says wherever you are living, you should be an example for other people."
E-MAIL: susan@desnews.com